Forged By Lightning
by Multidimensional Scribe
Summary: Wally always knew that Flash never wanted a partner. It was his biggest insecurity, but he will have to overcome it when a visitor from Flash's past shows up, claiming that he was meant to be Flash's partner.
1. Bead Lightning

**Central City**

**August 28, 2010 13:00 CDT**

"740…745..750…755. Come on! Come on!" Wally tried to shout between breaths as he ran on his uncle's cosmic treadmill, pushing through the pain of lactic acid buildup in his muscles. "Where's that magic number?" However, as Wally stubbornly insisted, magic, even in metaphors, doesn't exist. As soon as Wally reached 760 mph, the pain in his legs became too much, and he nearly collapsed in exhaustion. Wally held on to the foam handgrips, his head and torso bowed down, and panted like a dog after running in the hot sun. After several minutes of collecting his breath, Wally slowly rose and glanced at the monitor. The number 760 flashed on the screen as if it were laughing at him. "Damn it! I still can't break the sound barrier!"

Ever since the Team's run in with Psycho-Pirate a month ago, Wally's been pushing himself harder than usual on his uncle's cosmic treadmill in the basement. Sure, he was able to break free from Psycho-Pirate's trance all on his own and free his friends, but that did not mean his words weren't true. Well, most of them weren't. Wally may not be the joke of the team, but Psycho-Pirate was absolutely right that Flash never wanted a partner. It was a fact that haunted Wally since he became a superhero two years ago. However, that didn't mean Psycho-Pirate was right about Kid Flash never being as good as the Flash. If Wally trained harder so that he could be faster, he would not only be as good as Flash, but Flash will actually want Kid Flash as a partner.

Thankfully, Uncle Barry had S.T.A.R. Labs build him a treadmill able to withstand velocity over the speed of light. Wally wasn't allowed to run without his uncle or Jay (except on Team missions), but he was allowed to use the treadmill without supervision which meant he had the means to overcome that insecurity any time. Then he'll be unstoppable! Except for one little problem…

He still, despite a month of constant training, can only run just barely at the speed of sound.

Wally groaned. Uncle Barry can run over a hundred miles faster the speed of light. How the heck was he supposed to prove to his uncle that he was worthy to be his partner if he could barely break the sound barrier? At this point his low self-esteem is right. Why even try? Wally quickly shook that thought out of his head. He has to try! If he doesn't, he'll never catch up, and Uncle Barry will leave him coughing in the dust. Then his stomach growled. "A little lunch of one whole pizza, two hamburgers, and a plate of fries should help clear my head and refuel my stomach." Then he sped to the kitchen.

* * *

Ten minutes of rummaging through the kitchen didn't lead to what he wanted, but it did lead to leftovers from last night's birthday celebration. Add a freeze-dried pizza to the mix, and Wally was good to go. Unfortunately, his cell phone rang before he could take the first bite. Noticing that the incoming call was from his uncle, he greeted, "Hey Uncle Barry. I thought you were actually going to try not being late for the League meeting."

"Haha very funny, Kid. I was on my way to a Zeta-Beam, but I noticed an unusual transaction going on at the PNC Bank across from the Lampert Building."

"The Rogues?" Wally asked.

"No, just some regular bank robber, but he's armed and holding hostages," Barry answered.

"Hmmm," Wally hummed. Fighting the Rogues was much more challenging than fighting regular thieves, but regular thieves were willing to kill whereas the Rogues were not. Still, the day needed saving. "Where should I meet you?"

"Meet me behind the bank. So far the cops haven't showed so we still have the element of surprise on him."

"Got it." Wally hung up and looked longingly at his lunch. Lives were at stake and there was no time to finish the leftovers and wait for the pizza to heat up even with super speed. "Goodbye salad, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and pizza. Parting is such sweet sorrow." He took a drumstick. "Except for you. I'm eating you on the way there." He took a bite and ran (at human speeds) until he came to a little, barely used park in the neighborhood and changed into his Kid Flash costume. He tossed the bone away and ran to the meeting spot.

Merely a few minutes later, he was behind the back where his uncle was already dressed and leaning against the wall. "So what's the plan?" Kid Flash said as he tried to conceal his heavy breathing. He had been keeping his training a secret from his uncle. There was no way he could ever tell Uncle Barry why he'd been training extra hard lately. Afterall, how could he explain his training to a partner who originally didn't want to be a partner? And how could said partner will continue to want him when he finds out how weak Kid Flash really was? No, it's better to keep this hidden.

"And hello to you too, Kid." Kid Flash shot Flash a look that said shut up and get down to business. Flash merely chuckled. Then he turned serious. "While I was waiting for you, I ran past the window to get a sneak peak of what's going on. There is one masked robber inside armed with what I think is a handgun."

"You think he's armed with handguns?" Kid Flash asked. Flash didn't seem to notice his concealed panting, and fortunately his stomach wasn't growling. However, it was only a matter of time before his stomach started begging for food, and Flash will interrogate Wally on why he's so hungry from just a little skirmish. It's just some random guy. I can easily fight him with just one measly drumstick in my stomach, Wally convinced himself.

"I don't know, Kid, I'm not a gun expert. That's your aunt's expertise. The gun looks the size and shape to be a handgun. I just know it's not a shotgun or anything of that nature. Anyway, there are twenty-three customers inside and seven employees. "

"So, rescue first, then attack?"

"Yes, but we have to do it before he has time to shoot."

"Hey, speed is our gig. That won't be a problem."

Flash smiled. "Afterwards, we'll disarm him, but be careful, Kid. Captain Cold's freeze gun will give you a little frostbite, but this guy's gun will put a hole in your head."

"I know. You worry too much."

"I have to with you. Now let's go before I'm late again. Batman threatened me with extra monitor watching duty if I'm so much as a nanosecond late."

Flash vibrated his molecules through the backdoor and unlocked it so his partner could get in. Then Flash out his index finger over his lip, signaling to Kid Flash they must run quietly. Kid Flash nodded his head in understanding. Flash took the lead, running short sprints round desks and through hallways until he stopped on a dime at the entrance employee entrance to the front of the building and crouched down and peeked from behind the door, hidden from the thief's view. Kid Flash, was not as fluid in his sprints almost running like bull in a china shop. (Well, not exactly like a bull in a china shop. As a self-respecting science nerd, he religiously watches Mythbusters and knows that bulls are actually quite nimble in china shops.) At one point, he nearly knocked over a vase and was lucky to catch it before it crashed and alerted the thief of their presence, far cry from Kid Flash's normally smooth style of running.

Kid Flash crouched beside his uncle and observed the scene before them. The thirty hostages were huddled together in a circle in the middle of the building. No one was restrained, gagged, or blindfolded. The armed robber was indeed masked with a black ski mask over his face and armed with a gun at his waste though neither Kid Flash nor Flash could make out its type since it partially hidden by the armed robber's body. Kid Flashed guessed that this guy was a newbie because rather than watch over his hostages or have friends to watch over his hostages while he robbed the bank, this guy didn't even bother looking at them and instead chose to turn his back to them and look outside the window.

"What's the plan?" Kid Flash whispered.

"We grab the hostages and go. Then we'll engage."

From their hiding spot, the two speedsters soundlessly ran to the hostages. Flash grabbed a man around his age in a suit and quickly put him over his shoulder in a fireman carry while Kid Flash, being of lesser weight and body strength, quickly searched for a lighter hostage and found one in the form of a 12 or 13-year-old girl. Kid Flash swung her over his shoulders like his mentor and ran for the back door. As soon as Flash was about to enter the hallway, a wall of ice suddenly appeared, covering the entire entrance and trapping them both inside. In shock, the two speedsters whipped their heads around to see the armed robber aiming Captain Cold's cold gun at the employee entrance.


	2. Broken Bond

**Central City**

**August 28, 2010 13:30 CDT**

Suddenly, the air grew as cold as the ice on the door of the employee entrance. The girl over Kid Flash's shoulders started shivering, and the man over Flash's shoulders gaped at the door in shock. Kid Flash turned to his mentor who wore a serious expression on his face as if the sudden appearance of ice was just a mere obstacle. _Something is wrong_, Kid Flash thought. _How did some random criminal get his hands on Captain Cold's cold gun from police custody? _Then it dawned on Kid Flash that the situation suddenly became more serious. Captain Cold had always used his cold gun for breaking and entering and nonlethal combat. However, in the wrong hands, it could be used to kill, and now it was in the wrong hands.

Flash understood this too. "Kid, change of plans. I need you to rescue the bystanders. I'll keep this wannabe Captain Cold busy. When you're done, take what he stole and give it to the cops. Do not engage," Flash said in speed talk.

"But wait, how am I sup– " But Flash dropped the civilian on his shoulders onto the ground and sped off before Kid Flash could finish. " –posed to carry them." Kid Flash sighed. "Guess I'll make them walk or something," he muttered under his breath. To the man on the ground he said, "I'm gonna melt the ice. When I get the door open, run outside and call the cops. I'll be right behind you." The man nodded. "Ok then. Let's do this." Kid Flash placed his hand on the ice and vibrated as hard as he could. Soon he felt his glove grow damp from the melted ice. Once a hole formed, he moved his hand to the edge of the hole, melting the ice and increasing the size of the hole until he formed one large enough that he could open the door and kick away the remaining ice.

As instructed earlier, the man ran outside as soon as the door was open. Once he was across the street from the bank, he immediately dialed 911. Kid Flash gently put the girl down next to the man and ran back inside to rescue the remaining hostages. Unfortunately, that girl was the only one light enough for him to carry. The rest were adults and thus far too heavy.

He cupped his hands and shouted, "Listen! Everyone, calmly form a single line and quickly exit the building and walk across the street!" He then braced himself for a panicked mob to run him over, barreling for the exit, like in cartoons, but to his shock, they listened to his instructions and lined up. As the crowd exited, Kid Flash stood on the side, directing everyone to the door, and keeping an eye out for any stragglers and people shoving others to get out of the way. For five minutes, it seemed that things were moving along fast, well, for a non-speedster. Kid Flash was tapping his right foot and controlling his anxiety-induced vibrations. _Come on, come on! Can this line move any slower? What happened to panic induced adrenaline rush?_ Then again why would it matter? Flash said "do not engage" which was stupid because Kid Flash handled worse than this guy. He survived Cadmus for god's sake! Oh well, sometimes his uncle was overprotective like that.

Kid Flash took a moment's reprieve from the tediousness of crowd control to watch the exciting battle going on. Flash was sliding on the ice as a kid would slide on a hardwood floor, with a fist aimed for the thief. Unfortunately, Flash's speed was totally depended on the near frictionless surfaced of the ice so, while he was faster than a normal slider, he was slow enough for the thief to blast a four-inch-thick wall of ice at the last minute to protect himself. Flash howled in pain, and Kid Flash winced.

While Kid Flash was turning his head away from the fight, something yellow sped to where the tellers work and disappear behind a door. _Huh? That's strange. _He was about to write it off as a trick of the eye, but this time, very clearly, he could see a yellow figure open the door, speed to the side of where he came from and run back. Kid Flash couldn't make out the details, but the shape appeared human. _The Top? _Wally thought. He was the only Rogue capable of super speed, but Wally shook that thought away. The Top only used his speed for spinning his body not running, and if he did decide to use it for running, the blur would be green and yellow not just yellow. Besides, no way The Top would want to work with some Captain Cold wannabee. He may be the most likely to break Rogue Code, but even he has standards. So, it has to be a new player which brought about a conundrum. A new enemy with super speed would change this fight for the worst. Flash would be outnumbered, and shockingly this C-list thief did a pretty good job of holding his own, probably because he was out for blood. Flash can't fight this fight without help, and who better to help than Kid Flash!

Then his stomach growled, and Kid Flash was snapped back into reality. _Flash said, "Do not engage," _Wally remembered. His stomach growled again. _Now I don't know if I still have the energy to fight. _Still, what if this thing did turn out to be dangerous, and worse, faster than Uncle Barry? If Kid Flash could find out, he could prevent it from attacking his uncle (and possibly the civilians). If it was friendly, maybe whoever it is could help. Whatever the situation, Kid Flash wouldn't know that unless if he abandoned his post and investigated.

Kid Flash looked at the civilians. Most of them left the building. There were about ten left. Then he turned to Flash who since had recovered from slamming his body into a wall of ice. However, the fight was far from over. The wannabee Captain Cold froze his left fist and slammed it under Flash's chin. As Flash stumbled back to catch his balance, he slipped on some ice and fell. Ice and cold are a speedster's greatest weaknesses, and this wannabee sure knew how to exploit them.

Kid Flash's decision was made. He was going to investigate this new player. Low energy and orders be damned! Hopefully, this won't turn out to be like Cadmus. That was the second time Uncle Barry had ever gotten angry at Wally (the first being when Wally experimented on himself). Kid Flash ran to the back of the bank and to the door where he saw the yellow figure retreat to. He ran down the stairs and through an open vault.

Kid Flash found himself in a medium sized room with shiny metal safety deposit boxes. _Perfect place for a robbery_, he thought. Perhaps this mystery man stole Captain Cold's gun, gave it to his partner, and had him create a diversion while he robbed the back. Bonus points for killing Flash while making said diversion. That seemed like what was going on except for one tiny detail: no open vaults and no mystery man. It was like he disappeared. _Where did he go?_

Before Kid Flash could ponder further, a wave of nausea hit him. Kid Flash took deep and steady breaths to calm his hungry, nauseous stomach. He was beginning to regret not bringing more food on the way here. If only...

Wait

Kid Flash facepalmed himself. "That's right! How could I have forgot! I have granola bars in my wrist compartment!" Kid Flash unzipped the one on his left wrist. "Aaaaaannnnnd, it's empty. "Well, that just sucks. Great, how many times has Flash told me never to go into battle or patrol without keeping them stored with food?"

A gust of wind blew by Kid Flash. When he looked up, the yellow blur stood in front of him. It appeared like an adult man dressed in yellow except his face in a badly blurred photograph and sounded like Flash would when he vibrates his whole body. Kid Flash couldn't make out any details, but his presence stirred an ominous feeling in his gut. "Who are you?" The figure said nothing. Kid Flash took this as a sign that his gut instincts were right and ran after him with his right hand enclosed in a fist.

As soon as his fist was about to make contact, the figure disappeared. "Huh?" Then he heard vibrating behind him and turned around to see his opponent standing behind him twenty feet away. _Duh, he has super speed. _Kid Flash ran after him again, but this time faster. However, he wasn't fast enough as the figure ran away this time to the opposite side of the room. _Great. Another speedster faster than me. Just what I need for my already nonexistent self-esteem._ _Wait no I should have been able to hit him both times. He wasn't even going that fast maybe around 200 mph. _Kid Flash's stomach growled. _Of course, he's not faster than me. I'm just off my game since I'm so hungry, but I can't let that stop me. _

Mustering all his strength, Kid Flash eyed his opponent like a wolf about to fight his rival and ran after the yellow figure, but like the past two times, it ran to another part of the room at the last second. However, Kid Flash did not stop and just simply turned to wherever his opponent was now, but each time he did, not once did Kid Flash land a hit. _He's toying with me!_ Then as he was about to try for the sixth time, the figure disappeared at the last second, but this time it ran up the stairs. Kid Flash immediately ran after him before he could lock in him inside. When he finally got to the front room, he noticed there was no yellow blur. Kid Flash immediately stopped. However, this action reminded him it wasn't just speed he needed to work on, it was braking, and combined with little food and depleted energy, his skills were not up to par. Instead of immediately stopping. He skidded.

Right into the middle of Flash and the Captain Cold wannabe's battle.

A blast of ice aimed for Flash, instead knocked Kid Flash to the ground, hitting his head. An ice-cold circle appeared in his vision until a red wave ran and overcame it like a flash flood swallowing up objects in its path. Somewhere a loud crashing sound resonated through Kid Flash's head, and he briefly wondered if that was the red wave crashing into a shoreline. Then Kid Flash remembered there was no shore line, and the gray-white world he was in became more defined. He could make out the ice on the floor, then the chairs and desks, and finally the fallen ceiling that Kid Flash realized what was the origin of the sound. He also realized the hostages were all gone.

Flash ran back to his side. "Are you alright?"

Kid Flash looked over at his uncle. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his eyes were as emotionless as his voice, and Kid Flash knew he screwed up badly. "Yeah, I'm alright," he half-whispered.

Flash only nodded and then proceeded to melt the ice off his chest. Once the ice was melted, Flash got up and said, "Follow me," and ran off. Kid Flash gulped and followed his uncle to an alley a block away from the bank. There he stood in awkward silence, watching has his uncle ambled around while rubbing his head, and instantly he was taken back to that Fourth of July night (or technically really early fifth of July morning) at his uncle's house just before Uncle Barry chewed him out. However, that time the air was heavy with his disappointment. This time Flash looked like a cheetah waiting to chase after its prey. Kid Flash, for once in his life, opted to keep his mouth shut. Artemis would be amazed.

Finally, Flash dropped his hand and faced Kid Flash. With the upmost control on his anger, he glared at Wally and asked, "Do you realize what just happened?"

"I was hit in the head."

"Do you remember what happened next?"

Kid Flash shook his head no. Flash explained, "The thief aimed the cold gun at your head. Just before he could pull the trigger, I tackled him. As a result, he accidently pulled the trigger and a large sheet of ice hit the ceiling and caused it to fall, almost killing two hostages if I hadn't saved them in time. _What possessed you to leave your post?"_

Taking this the opportunity to explain himself (and hopefully get out of trouble), Kid Flash stammered out, "I-I saw something speed into the backroom and went to chase after it. When it came to the front room where you and that robber were fighting, it was gone."

Flash did not look impressed, and Kid Flash's chances for leniency went out the door. "I was there, Kid. I did not see anything come out except you, but even if there was something, that did not give you the right to leave those hostages unprotected. A couple almost _died_ because you left your post." Kid Flash gulped and felt a heavy feeling creeping up his spine and slowly settling in his stomach. However, Flash was not done yet. "This is the _second time_ you disobeyed orders and nearly gotten yourself killed! I thought you learned your lesson from Cadmus!"

"I _did _see someone, and I _did _learn my lesson. Whoever it was had superspeed, and you would have been outnumbered and in actual danger if I hadn't done something!" Kid Flash shouted back.

"What you _did _was nearly gotten yourself and somebody else killed over nothing," Flash growled. "Not to mention, your running was not up to par. You had very little control of your skid, and you froze in place when the thief aimed Cold's gun at you. You had plenty of time to get out of the way. I _know _you could do way better than that."

"It's not my fault! I was hungry. You called me over just before I was about to eat lunch. I was only able to eat a drumstick on the way here, but it wasn't enough, and I didn't have any granola bars in my..." Kid Flash snapped his jaw shut, realizing he was about to get himself into further trouble.

Unfortunately, Flash understood enough. "You left here without food in your compartments?! How many times did I tell you not don your uniform without making sure your compartment is stocked?! And now what do you do?! Just that! So first you left the house unprepared and on low fuel which is dangerous enough as it, and then you disobeyed orders and went on your own _again _and put yourself and most importantly others in danger! When I said you could be my partner, it was under the condition that you would do exactly as I say, when I say it."

"I told you! I saw someone. I even f–"

"_I DON'T CARE! _When I tell you to do something, you do it! I am very disappointed in you, Kid Flash. You almost got yourself killed." Flash let out an angry sigh. "This is why I didn't want a partner."

Kid Flash's eyes and mouth shot wide open, and his stomach plummeted a mile down. _Flash doesn't want me._ His chest tightened, shattering his heart and restricting his airflow. He needed to get out of here.

"Wait, Kid–" But Flash never had a chance to finish his sentence because Kid Flash took off faster than Flash has ever seen him run before.


	3. Regret

**Central City**

**August 28, 2010 14:00 CDT**

_"Finally! Home sweet home!" Barry turned off the ignition and got out of his car. His 13-year-old nephew was spending the Saturday with him and Iris or was at least supposed to spend the day with him and instead spent the day with Iris. Unfortunately, Barry was called in for an emergency at work earlier this morning just as he and Wally were getting ready to go to the Flash Museum. Barry remembered those sad, disappointed eyes when Barry told the bad news and promised Wally to be home as soon as possible so they can at least do something else together._

_ Well soon as possible arrived. Barry managed to be home by three. Unfortunately, the museum would be closing in a couple of hours, putting that plan on hold (Wally refused to go to the museum without Uncle Barry). Perhaps Barry could buy some Mentos and Diet Coke, and he and Wally can create an eruption in the backyard. Maybe they can put on their bathing suits and play in the gushing soda as one would play in a sprinkler._

_ Barry slammed the car door shut and walked to the front door where he was greeted by his wife. "Hey handsome."_

_ "Hey yourself, babe." The two shared a quick kiss. "How was your day with Wally?"_

_ "It was nice. After breakfast, I took him to the shooting range where we had a little contest on who can shoot on target the most. As usual, I won. Then I took him to our favorite taco food truck at the park for lunch. Then we just spent the rest of the afternoon at the park just talking about life."_

_ "That's great. Maybe when he gets better at target shooting, we'll incorporate a gun into his uniform," Barry joked. "Perhaps I should too. Darryl gave me plenty of shooting lessons when I was Wally's age." _

_ "You can't get more American than that."_

_ Barry laughed. "By the way, where is Wally?"_

_ Iris looked up the stairs. "I sent Wally to put away my jacket, but that was a half hour ago."_

_ "Mmmmm. Usually he would be downstairs by now to greet me. Maybe he's still disappointed. I'll go check on him."_

_ Barry climbed the stairs and went to his and Iris's room. At the threshold he stopped. There was Wally on the floor completely lost in one of his old science journals. Barry smiled fondly. His kid was always fascinated by how the natural world works. If only he could convince his budding physicist that chemistry is far superior. After all it was chemistry that created the Flash. If only Barry could tell Wally tha—._

_ Wait_

_ Is that his Flash notebook?!_

_ Wally finally became aware of his presence as he slowly looked up at him, his mouth and eyes wide open with shock._

_ Yup that's his Flash notebook._

_ Shit_

_ "You're the Flash?" Wally said in awe, as if Barry was Jesus himself. Barry could only nod his head in confirmation. Wally closed his mouth and smiled the biggest, brightest smile he had ever seen on him. "OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod! You're the Flash! My uncle is the Flash! This...This is so amazing! Like the greatest discovery since fire! Can I be your sidekick?! Tell me how you got your powers! I mean I know I read about it, but I wanna hear it from you."_

_ Finally, Barry broke out of his stupor. He walked in his room and sat down beside Wally. "How did you find all this?" He gestured to the notebook he was holding and the open suit case behind him where Barry kept the other notebooks on his experiences as the Flash and the experiments he conducted to learn about his powers and how to become the Flash._

_ Wally quickly looked down. "I uh found it all the way in the back as I was trying to hang up Aunt Iris's jacket. It kept slipping off the hanger so I searched around the wardrobe for a better one and found this."_

_ Barry took a deep breath. "Okay Wally. You're not in trouble, but I do know you know better than to snoop around my private things."_

_ "I know. I'm sorry, Uncle Barry."_

_ "Good, and you do know that what you discovered must stay in this house. Aunt Iris, Uncle Hal, Jay and Joan Garrick already know that I am the Flash, but your parents, Darryl, Inez, Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Edgar, and everyone else I haven't mentioned in the West and Allen family do not. It's imperative that it must remain this way for their own safety. This also means you can't tell your friends."_

_ Wally looked up at him, eyes shining in admiration. "I won't tell. I promise." Then he scrunched his nose in thought. "Wait doesn't Grandpa West know? You wrote in your notebooks that you talked to him a lot about physics before conducting your experiments."_

_ "No, your grandfather was beginning to show signs of dementia at the time so I didn't want to risk my secret coming out. Now I know you want to hear how I got my powers, but your aunt has been wondering where you disappeared to. Let's clean this up and let her know you didn't run off. Then we'll do something fun, and after your aunt goes to bed, I'll tell you that story. Ok?"_

_ "Ok!"_

_ Together they put back the notebooks into the suitcase. Barry closed it and got up to put it back in the wardrobe. When he was finished, he turned around and asked "Ready Kid?"_

_ "Actually, Uncle Barry before we go downstairs, I wanted to ask you something. As I was reading about your experiences, it occurred to me you could use a little help. I mean Batman and Green Arrow have partners to watch their backs, and it's working well for them. I was wondering I could be your partner."_

_ Partner? Just a month ago ten-year-old Robin was beaten senseless by Two-Face. He remembered vividly the blood trickling down Robin's little mouth through a valley of swollen bruises. He was the one who carried Robin to Leslie for treatment. That was hard, but what if that was Wally in his arms? Wally. Bleeding and covered in hematomas. Wally. Legs broken and unable to run. Unable to even stand up. Wally. Paralyzed. Wally. Coma. Wally. Shot. Wally. Dead! No! Oh God, no! Wally was his son in all but flesh and blood. If he died, there would be no Flash. Hell, there would be no Barry!_

_ Barry looked at his sweet, innocent, _living _child. His eyes hardened. "No."_

_ "What? Why?"_

_ "No partners. I don't want the responsibility." _

_ "But—"_

_ "Drop it, Wallace!"_

_ Wally winced, and so did Barry internally. He didn't mean to be too harsh. He just couldn't let Wally get hurt, but he didn't want to disappoint him at the same time. He softened his voice. "Look I know you just want to help, and I commend you for it. However, you don't have powers. The experiment may have worked on adults, but there's no telling what it could do to a teenager. I know you understand what an unknown variable can do to the results of an experiment."_

_ "It can mess up the data."_

_ "Right. We don't know if age affects whether one gets powers or not, and I rather not test it out on you." Barry placed a hand on Wally's shoulder. "I'll tell you what. If I ever need help, I'll ask Jay. He has far more experience than me anyway. I won't have to worry about him unlike you. Ok?"_

_ "Ok." _

_ Wally was still disappointed but not nearly as much as he would be if Barry told him the real reason, he would not let him be his partner whether he had powers or not. "Come on. Let's go downstairs and tell Aunt Iris the good news that she finally has someone to complain about my alter ego to."_

_ Wally giggled. Barry put his arm around Wally's shoulders and escorted him downstairs. His Kid was safe in his grasp and under his roof. He would never be beaten senseless by one of Flash's enemies. He would never yearn for freedom while stuck in a wheelchair. He would never be left to die in the cold cruel world. He was safe, loved and wanted._

And boy did Flash manage to screw all that up.

Ok sure Wally was never beaten like Robin was three years ago, and he was never paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, and obviously he was never killed. However, that did not mean Flash manage to screw things up. First, Wally blew up his parents' garage and nearly got himself killed trying to get powers. Then he snuck off with Robin and Aqualad to investigate Cadmus and almost got himself killed and replaced by a clone. If that wasn't bad enough, he then gets himself shot in the head by a blast of ice, knocking him out cold (no pun intended) which Flash brilliantly handled hurting his kid's feelings, causing him to run away, and that's not even mentioning all the other trouble Kid Flash has gotten himself into.

Flash facepalmed himself. "Great. Just great," he muttered. How is he gonna fix this? Then Flash her the sound of cameras and reporters, and he really hoped Iris wasn't among them. She would question him where Kid Flash was, and he would have to give some vague but true answer that would satisfy every reporter but her. When they were alone, she will hound him until she got the full truth. Then she will absolutely kill him. Better he got out of here fast. Besides, he has a meeting to get to.

Wait

Meeting.

_Shit!_

Flash was late! And he tried so hard to be on time. Well, at least it will give him an excuse to avoid the media and stall his demise, but as Flash looked in the direction Kid Flash ran, a heavy rock of guilt settled in his stomach. His nephew was somewhere with his feelings hurt and was just recently knocked unconscious. Flash needed to find him and apologize. However, League meetings were important and required attendance unless if in the middle of an emergency, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, making up with Wally was not an emergency. Flash sighed, As much as Flash put Wally over the League, he wasn't a priority right now. Besides, Wally could use the time to cool off so Flash booked it to the nearest Zeta Tube, slowed by the rock in his stomach.

* * *

**Somewhere on the Way to the Mountain**

**August 28, 2010 14:14 CDT**

_Hedoesn'twantmehedoesn'twantmehedoesn'twantme, _his mind repeated as fast as his legs ran across the country. All that secret extra training, all that hoping. It was for nothing. His hero – _his uncle _– doesn't want him. He needed to get away. He needed to breathe so he ran to the best place he could think of – the Mountain. Plus, there's food there.

So that's where he went, hoping Robin will be there. Right now, he's the only one Kid Flash wanted to pour his heart out to. Instead, when he got there, he found it empty. No smell of burnt cookies in the kitchen courtesy of Miss Martian. No static on the TV courtesy of Superboy. No nagging voice courtesy of Artemis (not that he was disappointed about that one). No cackling or the sound of video games being played on the TV courtesy of Robin. No...actually, Aqualad never really had a distinctive sound or smell or anything to signify his presence. He preferred doing things quietly and on his own. Though it's plausible he could be around here somewhere.

Kid Flash walked around to see if he could find Aqualad or anyone for that matter. _Maybe, they're all hiding?_ As Kid Flash got closer to the gym, he heard a _thunk _being repeated over and over, coming from the gym. _I guess I found where they're hiding. _Kid Flash walked to the gym to find a very frustrated Superboy repeatedly punch his standard heavy punching bag.

"Hey Supey!" Kid Flash said in dejected happiness.

With a final roar and a hard-upper cut, Connor managed to break the cables despite being designed to withstand Superman's strength and sent the punching bag crashing into the wall. Kid Flash flinched at the sound of the wall breaking but the sound did not seem to faze Connor who only grunted in acknowledgement of Kid Flash's greeting.

"Superman again?"

"I try to do good, but he gives me some damn lecture about not knowing the limits of my powers and endangering lives! How can I get better if he won't even teach me?! I wish he want me," Connor ranted.

Kid Flash bowed his head down with heavy sadness. "Yeah I know how that feels," he whispered.

"How would _you _know? Your mentor loves you. Mine doesn't even act like I exist!" Connor accused.

Kid Flash flinched at the sudden anger directed towards him and sheepishly replied, "Yeah Flash and I had a major fight today, and well remember our camping trip a month ago when I told you guys my origin story?"

"Yeah, so?" he snapped.

"Well when I said that Flash was 'a bit resistant' to having a partner, I really meant he outright refused, and when I said that he 'jumped at the chance' at getting a partner, I really meant that he reluctantly accepted me."

Connor's demeanor softened. "Oh, I see. Then why did you lie?"

At first Kid Flash really didn't want to confess his insecurities to anyone on the Team but Robin, but unlike Robin, Connor also knows what it's like to be unwanted by your mentor. Perhaps, he will understand Kid Flash more than Robin ever could. "I don't know. I mean what kind of cool origin story is it if part of it means that your own mentor doesn't want you?"

Connor nodded in understanding "Well Flash is your uncle, right? Does his civilian ego at least want you?"

"Well–" Then Kid Flash shut his mouth. His uncle always wanted him even before Kid Flash knew that Uncle Barry and Flash were one in the same, but since they're one in the same then maybe Uncle Barry also didn't want him. He already knew his parents wished he were someone else, but he also wished they weren't his parents. He wanted Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry to be his mom and dad, and they virtually were. But if Uncle Barry, _his dad, _never wanted him, then, well, he just didn't know what to do. All Kid Flash could say was "I don't know."

"I'm…sorry for yelling," Connor apologized, his eyes asking if he said the right thing.

"It's ok," Kid Flash reassured the clone. "You didn't know."

"Do you still think Superman will come around?" Connor asked.

Yesterday, Kid Flash would have answered "yes, and when he does, he will be a great mentor" but that assured statement was based on what experience Wally had with his own mentor and pseudo-father and his limited interactions with Superman, but if Flash never truly came around for Kid Flash, then how could Superman start coming around for Superboy? However, Kid Flash didn't have the heart to voice his doubts to Connor, but he couldn't lie to him either so he simply said, "He has too. He can't ignore you forever."

Connor gave one of his rare grins. That answer seemed to appease the clone. "Do you, uh, want to watch TV with me?"

Any other day, Kid Flash would jump in the air and give a resounding yes, but despite his talk with Connor, Kid Flash didn't any better. He couldn't wait around for Robin, and he couldn't just simply waltz right in the Manor or the Batcave. Wally needed to run. "Thanks, Supey, but I really have a lot on my mind right now so I'm gonna run for a bit."

"Ok, well, bye then."

"Later, Supey!" He took off and ran towards the direction of Central with the way to the West Coast. Maybe even beyond that. Who knows? Despite burning up his energy reserves, Kid Flash felt like he could run all day.

And he would have too if halfway to Central City, a yellow blur didn't crash into him like a freight train crashing into a car.


End file.
